Tale of Two Wanderers
by XeroKageVoid
Summary: Two wanderers; one from the wastes, one from Nirn, never supposed to have met... Meet. A tale, never meant to have been told, occurs. The Fates do not play by the rules. They do as they please and as they must... [Lemons will be present in some chapters. Warnings will be given ahead of time.]
1. Enclave Logistics Division - 5

**ENCLAVE LOGISTICS;**

 **DIVISION 5: ACTIVE TARGET AQUISITIONS CENTER (A.T.A.C.)**

 **RE: PERSONS OF INTEREST**

 **ADDENDUM 55.295-12:**

The following individual is wanted by the Enclave High Command. A bounty of 150,000 caps is to be dispensed to involved parties following the confirmation of his death. Acceptable forms of proof of contract completion are as follows: Head [intact], Armor [In good condition], Pip-Boy [preferably with wrist and hand intact], or Blood sample [if other forms of proof are too damaged]. This contract is open to all Enclave personnel and known Hunters.

 **ADDENDUM 55.295-17:**

Following the Raven Rock incident, only designated Enclave troopers and Hunters are allowed to accept the Winchester contract. All other Enclave soldiers and staff are hereby prohibited from engaging.

 **ADDENDUM 57.334-40:**

Following the Enclave mobile platform incident, NO Enclave personnel is allowed to engage in the Winchester contract. Only Hunters are allowed to take on the bounty contract at their own risk. Consider the subject extremely dangerous. The Enclave is not responsible for injury, loss of limb, or forfeiture of life when attempting to complete this contract.

 **-\\\\\\\SUBJECT FILE BEGIN/-**

 **-\\\LAST KNOWN INFO/-**

 **-\** **(LAST UPDATED 8/12/2280)** **/-**

 **NAME:** Exeter Winchester **SEX:** Male **D.O.B:** 7/13/2258

 **RACE/ETHN:** LATINO **HEIGHT:** 5 FT, 7IN. **WEIGHT:** 161.32 LBS

 **EYE COLOR:** BROWN **HAIR COLOR:** WHITE/STEEL

 **FATHER:** JAMES WINCHESTER (Deceased)

 **MOTHER:** CATHERINE WINCHESTER (Deceased)

 **OTHER RELATIVES:** NONE **ACQUAINTANCES:** UNKNOWN

 **ALIASES/KNOWN IDENTITIES:** Lone Wanderer, Vault Dweller, "Kid from Vault 101", Reaper, Longshot, The Wanderer, Mad-Hatter.

 **ALLIES:** B.O.S, Megaton, Outcasts, Rivet City, Reilly's Rangers, Underworld Ghouls, Vault 101(?), Regulators.

 **HOSTILES:** Slavers (Paradise Falls/Pitt), Littlehorn  & Associates, Any Raider that is come across, Tenpenny Tower residents, Mercenaries, Enclave.

 **KNOWN INFO:** Exeter Winchester, alias the Lone Wanderer, was last seen in company of B.O.S member Sarah Lyons, several Knights, and his animal companion, a male Australian Cattle dog named "Dogmeat". Winchester is primarily solitary in nature and has attained a reputation of being a "do-gooder", as described by several captured slavers before their execution (further information on this in Addendum 44.893-32). He has obtained powerful allies through his various missions and is known to assist these allies in which ever way possible in order to further his own means. Winchester is described as a capable and intelligent individual, capable of talking his way out of many confrontations though will not hesitate to use force, if necessary. Reports indicate that he has traveled to locations beyond that of the D.C wastes, and has been seen as far as the ruins of Pittsburgh, now known as the Pitt, and as remote as Point Lookout, MD. Reports also indicate that he has been in contact with extra-terrestrial life forms and is in possession of an alien warship. [REDACTED] (We do not have sufficient proof to confirm or deny these events. Soldier who "witnessed" these events to be taken in for questioning and psychiatric evaluation.) Latest reports indicate that he has left the D.C wastes and is headed west, towards California. No further information has been received. [Addendum 835.12-03: Information has been received from the former Las Vegas region that Winchester has been sighted. Raven Rock information is to be amended with "New Vegas" information until further notice.]

 **INVENTORY:**

[Addendum 369.20-80: We've amended the Raven Rock list with another from New Vegas. Assume this information correct until told otherwise.]

 **WEAPONS:**

One (1) PGM Hécate II – Heavily modified .50 Cal Anti-Materiel Rifle

One (1) Heavily modified 5.56mm Light Machine Gun, Codenamed BOZAR

One (1) Modified .44 Magnum, Codenamed TAURUS RAGING BULL

One (1) Toy Laser Gun. Unknown purpose. Marked POSEIDON ENERGY. Possible souvenir.

One (1) Energy-based Axe weapon. Unknown origin.

One (1) Modified Missile Launcher, Codenamed ANNABELLE

One (1) Modified .308 Hunting Rifle, Codenamed OL' PAINLESS

Unknown amount of ammunition for previously mentioned weapons. Large amount assumed.

 **GEAR/ARMOR:**

One (1) Elite Riot Gear Helmet

One (1) Elite Riot Gear Kevlar Chest Plate and Cloak

 **OTHER INFORMATION:**

PIP-BOY 3000A SERIES-

DATA SCRUBBED FROM DEVICE:

S.P.E.C.I.A.L DATA-

 **S: 10 P: 7 E: 6 C: 9 I: 10 A: 6 L: 5**

OTHER RELEVANT INFORMATION LOCATED ON ADDENDUM 12.325-00


	2. Chapter 1: The Return

_Chapter 1: The Return_

NOVEMBER 6TH, 2292

9:07PM- UNION A&P STATION, DC WASTELAND

A dark figure stands beside a recently killed super mutant, cigarette smoke rising gently from the lit end. He looks up to watch the smoke float away and notes the clouds part in the slightest, revealing a few bright specks of white that dot the night sky. _"Damn pretty night.. Well, when the radioactive winds decide to kick up for a bit anyway."_ He sighed. A tongue licked his hand reassuringly and he instinctively reached down and pat his companion's head.

"So, where to boss?" Asked a figure with an accent that emerged from the shadows behind him. The moon briefly peeked through the night sky, illuminating the figure's face. His skin looked raw and peeling from under his white steel plated helmet, his eyes bloodshot and discolored while the rest of his face was hidden by a thick breathing mask. The ghoul was wearing a sturdy set of steel plated combat armor, and is covered form chest to toe in the strong hardware. Only his hands remained uncovered, and they are in the same condition as his face, seemingly rotting.

The dark figure shifted and turned on a light that emanated from a device mounted on his wrist, illuminating the surroundings. The figure is a Latino male in his early thirties; the light shone brightly against a scar that stretched from the left side of his forehead to his left temple, his eyes a dark brown that are in a permanent scowl which contrast sharply against his snow white hair and scruffy goatee. He wore a heavy Emerald green trench-coat that reached to his calves. Hidden within his coat was a pale green riot Kevlar vest.

He wore tan khakis that were outfitted with knee and shin guards, while his footwear were dark brown army boots. This armor was his prized possession, proof of the trek he undertook through the Divide. It had been several years since he had set foot in the DC wastes. After the destruction of The Enclave's mobile base and Alien adventure hijinks, he decided to leave DC and travel to the Mojave looking for a change in scenery. He decided to settle down and try the simple life, taking work as a courier for the Mojave express. Needless to say, trouble always has a way of following him. Getting shot in the head and loosing his memories for a while, fighting the Legion and the NCR, and taking over the entirety of New Vegas and surrounding areas with an army of Securitron robots were just some examples of the type of trouble that liked following him around. He looked up at the sky again and chuckled at how ridiculous his adventures must sound to anyone else who would hear them. Luckily, he managed to recall his past and returned to DC, with some new companions in tow. Raul asked his question again, which returned his attention to the ghoul. His heavy-set jaw clenched slightly as he pondered the man's question. "Dunno. It's been a while since I've been in DC. The Mojave has a way of making you lose track of time and places." He replied, contemplative.

"Tcheh. Yeah, just like that bullet made you lose a chunk of your brains, eh boss?" Chuckled the man.

The white-haired Latino chuckles grimly and self consciously felt his scar. "Stuff it, ghoul. Else you'll share a scar with me." He retorted playfully.

"Well now that's just rude of you. And I thought your daddy taught you better, my young Exeter." Rung out a female voice from behind them.

The Latino turned his light on a young Caucasian woman, clad in T-51B power armor. She walked up briskly to them and feigned exhaustion. "I mean, really, leaving a young and attractive woman all by her lonesome to walk up the dangerous ruins of Union Station... alone!" She put her hand on her forehead sarcastically. "You cruel, cruel man...!"

Exeter chuckled and grinned at her little act. "Please. You're about as vulnerable as a Super Mutant. Kinda look like one too." He replied with equal sarcasm. "You might wanna consider dating one." He quipped, nudging the dead mutant with his foot. "You already got the brute force and table manners for it, hell you might even show one a good time!"

The woman rolled her eyes and brushed some dust off her power armor. "Dunno. You might be a better match, considering your manners and that oh-so-lovable face of yours." She retorted as she flipped him off with her power fisted hand.

"Mmmm, if you're into scary things that go bump in the night, I can give you a nibble.." Said the ghoul with his best suave accent, attempting to hit on her.

"Uh. No. Unless you can magically become a leggy brunette, don't even begin to fantasize about it, Raul." Said Veronica with a snarky tone as she inched away a little.

"Ahhh, so cruel. You hurt my rotten heart so." Replied Raul in a mocking, hurt tone.

"Anyway, how's the T-51B holding up for you, V?" Asked Exeter. "Are the custom valves holding?"

"Oh, it's fine. Better than fine actually. I've got to hand it to you, you sure know your way around Brotherhood tech. Shame you had to find those guys on Black Mountain. Elijah really liked them.." She commented, a hint of sadness in her voice. "Though that explains what happened to that scouting party we had sent out..."

"I agree. But at least I gave them a decent burial, rather than sitting at the bottom of an irradiated crater. I'm surprised I managed to clean the armor. It was so radioactive it nearly burned a hole in my bag." He recalled the moment in which he noticed smoke coming from his satchel. "Good idea, by the by, letting it soak in Rad-Away and tomato juice, Raul."

"Ey, when you're a ghoul, ya gotta know some tricks." Said the ghoul, shrugging.

Exeter nodded in agreement and looked down to his canine companion, Dogmeat. The dog looked back up at him, panting happily. He gave the mutt one more firm pat before looking back up, studying his surroundings. It was a dark night, the moon was hidden behind the toxic clouds of the wastes, making it even darker. The nearby office buildings looked like monoliths in the night, towering over them, rusted and abandoned husks of what they once were. The statues of Eisenhower that decorated Union Station stared out into the night, cold and distant. If Exeter's pip-boy was correct, it was nearing November, which meant that the cold was not too far off. He ran a gloved hand through his hair and sighed again. He wasn't a fan of the cold that permeated the wastes during those months. It was too damn cold, with the standard being below zero, making the hell of the wastes that much more... hellish.

He lowered his head to his device, switching to the map utility, then to his log utility in order to determine which of his self imposed objectives was nearest to his location, then back to his map to calculate a route. _"Ah... I remember that cache of pre-war tech that I overheard Autumn talking about. Maybe we should start there.."_ He pondered silently, before nodding to himself and setting the pip-boy's GPS to his desired location. "Alright. I have our next objective. We'll be heading to Vault-Tec's headquarters. According to previous ah... research, I know of a potential cache of pre-war tech that we can scavenge and re-purpose, maybe even sell." He checked his map again and pointed to the northwest.

"There's a tunnel that will lead us to Georgetown. It's on the way there. I know of some abandoned townhouses there that are safe to crash in. We'll rest and resupply there. Let's move." He motioned with a wave towards the dark tunnels, reaching down as he walked and picking up the riot helmet he had set on a nearby pile of rubble and put it on, adjusting the straps and mask onto his face, as the visor blinked on with a steady red glow. He stopped for a moment and looked down to his pip-boy, and turned off the light before continuing.


	3. Chapter 2: The Score

_Chapter 2: The Score_

NOVEMBER 7TH, 2292. 11:13AM- VAULT-TEC HQ, FLOOR 3

 _Exeter and his crew leave Georgetown behind and eventually make their way to Vault-Tec Hq after having to navigate through several Metro stations, given that the roads were blocked off with the debris of the buildings around them. Several firefights with super mutants and spars with ghouls later, they emerge from Farragut West station. They enter Vault-Tec headquarters and make their way to the third floor, where a mercenary group is waiting to claim a bounty on Exeter's pretty head._

"DAMN IT!" Yelled Exeter over the heavy machinegun fire as he dove behind a nearby desk. "How in the hell did they find me!?" He yelled to Raul, who was also ducking behind the desk across from him.

"I dunno, boss! It's like they've got a hard on for you! Well, killing you rather!" Yelled the ghoul back as he reloaded his Desert Eagle. "How much bounty you got on that fat head of yours anyway?"

"Uh... Several thou-" A bullet whizzes by and embeds itself in the adjacent wall. "Thousand caps now? Turns out my wanted bounty increases each time I gank a team of mercs." He replied, reloading his Bozar.

"Several thousand... Saaayyy.." Raul grinned with a wink. "Might just cash in, eh boss?" He held up his Deagle and mimed shooting at him. "Easy thousand, no?"

"Not funny, Raul!" Warned Exeter. He got into a crouching position and quickly looked over the desk, Bozar in hand and began firing at the enemy mercs, wounding one and killing another with a flurry of armor-piercing bullets to the chest.

"MY LEG!" Screamed a merc as he fell, clutching his bleeding thigh. "MY LEG...!"

"Take this, fucker!" Yelled an African American merc as he threw a frag grenade.

"Ah hell... GRENADE!" Yelled Exeter as he dove behind his desk again.

Veronica burst into the room with Dogmeat in tow, punching a female merc in the ribs with her power fist, a sickening crunch being heard as she fell, unmoving. "Don't worry guys, I've got your.. Uh oh." She said just as she spotted the grenade. Dogmeat barked in warning and scrambled for cover under some nearby rubble.

"V, watch..!" Yelled Exeter as the explosive detonated, sending Veronica flying into the wall behind him.

"YOOOOOOWWWWWWWW!" She yelled before crashing into the wall, landing upside down, on her head. "Unnnnnggggghhhhh..." She groaned.

"...Out..." Finished Exeter. Another bullet whizzed past him, reminding him of the firefight. He leaned over and pulled Veronica towards him, propping her up into a sitting position against the desk. He grunted in effort as he finally managed to get her to sit still. "Heavy ass armor... Heavy ass girl... Guh."

She opened her eyes slightly. "Heard that.. Jerk..." She wheezed.

"Whatever." He smirked as he took out his own plasma grenade and chucked it to the other side of the room, towards the mercs, followed by another and then resuming fire upon them, leaving them unable to move out of the way in time.

"OH SHIT! PLAS-" The scream was cut short by two successive detonations, followed by half a man landing next to them and the wall being splattered in green, glowing goo. A profound silence filled the room as the smoke cleared, along with the acrid scent of burnt meat and chemicals.

"Ugh." Said Veronica with disgust, wrinkling her nose. "I hate it when you use those things. They smell terrible." She reached into her bag and pulled on a breathing mask, mainly to filter out the stench.

Exeter merely shrugged as he stood up, stowing away his Bozar and pulling out his trusty Raging Bull, cocking it back and holding it at the ready. "Check the bodies. Make sure they're no longer with us. If you find anything useful, take it. I'm sure we'll be needing it."

"Gotcha, boss." Acknowledged Raul as he stood up as well, also keeping his weapon at the ready.

Dogmeat scrambled from out of the rubble, shaking himself off and trotted over to the nearest body, sniffing it.

"Sure thing." Says Veronica as she got up. She began to walk over to the nearest body but stopped, holding her side and wincing. Exeter looked back, noticed, and wordlessly took out his medkit, walking over to her.

"Injured?" He asks.

"No, no I'm fine. Really." She straightened back up and tried to walk, but winced again.

Exeter stared at her and sighed. "Uhhuh. Sure. And my granny was a Centaur. Open up your armor and let me check you for wounds." He said, taking out various medical vials and bandages.

"Erm... I can heal myself, you know.." She looked away as Exeter looked back up at her, unblinking through his visor.

"I've seen your medical skills in action. I think I'm better suited, unless of course, you'd rather have Raul take a look at you."

She turned her head over to Raul, who proceeded to wink at her and make a kissy face. "Whenever you want, baby!" He grinned from across the room.

"Ugh... Men..." She frowned, rolling her eyes. "Okay, okay.. You win.." She undid various locks and turned a couple of valves before the armor opened with a pneumatic hiss, allowing Exeter access to her torso; her clothes bloodied and slightly torn from shrapnel.

"Hm. Looks like they got you good with that grenade. Thankfully the armor took the brunt of it." He lifted up her shirt slightly, before looking at her. She looked away again, blushing slightly before nodding. Lifting the cloth, he exposed her left breast and a deep gash slightly below it. "Hold your shirt up. I've got to clean the wound and see if any shrapnel made it inside." He activated the light on his pip-boy and reached for the gauze and tweezers, he pulled out a bottle of Vodka, his flask, and handed it to her. She looked at him with slight confusion, before he offered it to her again. "Trust me, you'll want to take a swig or two. It's not going to be fun." She nodded quickly and twisted it open, gulping down several mouthfuls as he poured the alcohol on the wound, causing her to hiss in pain and wince. "Try not to move." He warned. She nodded again and drank more as he dabbed gauze and shone the light on it. He took the tweezers and prodded around the wound as gently as he could, earning another hiss and twitch. Apologizing, he kept inspecting until he nodded to himself and injected a Stimpak at the site, watching the nanite serum go to work as the wound began to close itself up, until a faint red line remained. He applied gauze and wrapped a bandage around her torso, lowering her shirt. "Here." He held out his hand, offering some acetaminophen. "It'll take the edge off until the wound is fully healed." She thanked him and gulped down the pills and was about to take another mouthful of whiskey before he stopped her. "Better to drink them down with this." He took the flask and handed her a bottle of purified water instead.

She nodded and opened the bottle, drinking down the cool liquid before looking up at him and smiling. "Thanks, doc. Did you get a good look-see?"

"Oh yeah. Totally. I have to change my pants here from the excitement. Hooo mama." He chuckled, rolling his eyes before joining Raul. "Rest there a minute before closing your armor back up, then join us when you feel you can. Savvy?"

"Mmkay." She twisted the valves on the armor, inspecting the damage. "Oh, got any spare repair kits?"

"Nah. Only weapon ones. Tell you what though, the armor these guys had is similar in structure to the metal on the T-51B. I think I'll be able to patch it up with that." He replied.

"Kay. Actually pass me a weapon repair kit anyway. My power fist was damaged in the blast."

He nodded and chucked her one, before continuing his looting. He turned to look at Raul, who seemed to be inspecting a safe. "Anything good?" He asked.

"Maybe. No good at picking this lock though. Wanna give it a try?" He stepped aside to allow Exeter access.

"Hmm. Looks like a hard lock to pick. Yeah I'll give it a shot. Meanwhile, would you please keep looking elsewhere?"

"Sure, sure boss." Replied Raul, looking through the pockets of one of the downed mercs. "Heyyyy this guy has a contract on you, boss! Who's Burke?"

Dogmeat growled at the sound of that name, remembering how Exeter was nearly killed by that maniac.

"Ah shit... These are Burke's men? Seriously. The guy's dead and he's still a pain in the ass.." Growled Exeter as the lock clicked and gave way. "Ah! Now let's lookee here..." He shone his light inside, grabbed a box containing a weapon mod for a Desert Eagle and tossed it to Raul. "Oy, here! Might be useful for you!"

"Ooooohh, shiny!" Exclaimed Raul as he opened it. "It's a silencer. For a Deagle?" He scratched his head through his helmet and grinned. "Heh, now I'll be silent but deadly, eh boss?"

"Tcheh. You already are, man. Especially after we eat your mole rat stew.. Oy.." Shuddered Exeter, recalling the vile gasses he was forced to endure from Raul one night, while still in the Mojave. "Had to wear my mask that night. Hot damn.." He reached inside the safe and pulled out a small bag, filled with caps, another small satchel, filled with pre-war money, several stimpaks, a used Raging Bull, and a bottle of a pre-war bourbon called Maker's. "Mmmm... Bourbon.. Good stuff." He opened the bottle, removed his mask and took a whiff, before taking a gulp. Coughing, he smiled and motioned to Raul, passing him the bottle.

"Augh.. oof.." Coughed Raul as he took a swig as well. "Damn that's some strong stuff. Good shit though."

 _They continued looting the office, finding various little treasures and gear. Eventually Veronica joined in on the looting and once they were satisfied, they moved on to the other levels of the building. At one point, they encountered several ghouls and super mutants but slayed them with ease as Dogmeat took care of any stragglers. They entered the president's office and made an interesting discovery while hacking his terminal and looking through his files._

"Hey guys, look at this..." Called Veronica as she scrolled down a page in the terminal. "There's an entry here by the president, it's dated a couple of weeks before the bombs fell.."

Exeter replaced a bust of a bust he was inspecting back on a shelf before joining Veronica and peering over her shoulder, reading the text displayed on the screen.

 _"The team has begun construction according to the schematics provided to us by Dr. Braun. His research on the pod simulators is astounding to say the least. One of my top scientists had a breakthrough on Braun's abandoned research: Teleportation! After Braun's team "recovered" that flying saucer that landed in Roswell in the 1940's and got a look inside, he had great ideas as to what could power such a device. Sadly, he never finished that research, instead becoming obsessed with that experiment of his. But now, we have the means and the plans, all we need now is some Uranium. The Iranians were more than willing to exchange some Uranium for those Stealth Boys we appropriated from Rob-Co. That should keep the Russians busy. I had some of the building engineers construct a hidden elevator for me that takes me straight down there. I don't want to miss a beat on the progress of this wonder. Imagine, we get that device running, and we'll be able to teleport troops right to the Commie's front door! That should give those Chinese bastards something to think about."_

"A teleportation device, hm? That should be very interesting. The entry mentions a hidden elevator. Does it say where?" Asked Exeter.

"No dice. Though if I was a self-obsessed moron like this guy, I'd have it here in the office, hidden behind a bookcase. If we're going for unoriginal and predictable, anyway." Replied Veronica, scooting out of the chair.

Dogmeat trotted into the room and started to sniff around, as he usually does, passed a bookcase and stopped, turned around and started sniffing it more intensely, pawing at it and finally turning towards Raul and barking. Raul moved towards the dog and pulled on a book that seemed out of place.

"Hijole... What about this elevator hidden behind the predictable and unoriginal bookcase?" Asked Raul as he stepped back, an elevator revealed behind an unoriginal and predictable bookcase.

"Well... That was..." Started Exeter.

"Don't you say a word." Interrupted Veronica as she walked towards the elevator.

Exeter turned to Raul and they exchanged a look, both shrugging and chuckling as the doors opened and they all stepped inside.

"All we need now is che-" Exeter stopped as cheesy elevator music started up and they descended. Veronica turned to him and shot him a dirty look as he looked at the wall and whistled to the tune behind his mask.

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" Asked Veronica.

"What? It's not everyday that a series of events progresses like some crappy fanfiction." Grinned Exeter.

"What's a fanfiction?" Asked Veronica, a quizzical look on her face.

"What, you never wrote your own stories about a character? Like writing your own story featuring Grognak the Barbarian or that detective from the Police Stories magazine.. You know, that kind of stuff. Written by fans? Because it's fiction? Get it?" He replied.

"Ohhh. Not really. We were too busy being boring."

The doors finally opened after about 5 minutes of riding down, revealing a long dark hallway. Exeter turned on his pip-boy light and pulled out his sidearm, leading the way as Raul pulled out his own firearm and Veronica unable to do much of anything else, held up her fists. They continued along their path, coming across several locked doors that required special keys until they came across a large opening into darkness. Exeter raised his hand, signaling a halt and holding his light higher up, scanning the wall next to them until finally feeling a lever. He pulled it down and a hum was heard, followed by a series of clanks and the lights coming on. Exeter stared at the sight before him, turning off his light.

"Woah..."Gaped Veronica.

"That's...a big ring.." Chimed in Raul.

"How in the hell are we going to scavenge this..?" Asked Exeter.

Dogmeat scurried ahead, sniffing here and there, making sure the room was safe before barking to Exeter.

Before them, was a giant metal ring with various circuit boards and rods jutting out of the frame, numerous cables led from the ring to a control panel in the corner. Other scientific equipment was scattered throughout the area, but the main focus of attention was this large, unusual ring. A series of stairs led up to the center of the of the ring, which was suspended horizontally over a designated testing area. A flatbed was parked near the console, with various containers marked radioactive.

"So.. What should we do?" Asked Raul.

Exeter shrugged, per his usual response.

"Guys... It's the teleportation device! Who knows what we can do with all this stuff! Can you imagine, visiting other regions of the planet, communicating with other people that could have survived this?" Exclaimed Veronica with excitement.

"Ooooooor... We could teleport right into the Lucky 38..." Suggested Raul. "That should give Ol' House a good scare."

"Let's just focus on seeing if this works. All of this is pointless if the damn thing doesn't work." Replied Exeter. "If it does work, God knows what we can do with it." He looked up to the large ring. "Yep. Definitely gonna be interesting."


	4. Notice on Behalf of Jarl Balgruuf

_**4E 201, 5th of Frostfall**_

 **NOTICE**

 __In the name of Jarl Balgruuf the Greater, the following notice is hereby dispatched to all holds, cities, towns, and corners of Skyrim. Let it be known that after 202 years since the beginning of the Fourth Era, a new Dragonborn has appeared in these lands. The following is a description of his physical appearance;

 **NAME:** Umbra Currstra'i **AGE:** 31 **RACE:** Khajiit ( _Cathay-Raht_ )

 **SEX:** Male **HEIGHT:** 6 FEET. **HOMELAND:** Elsweyr ( _Assumed_ )

 **PARENTS:** Unknown

 **COMPANIONS:**

Sofia the Drunk; Nord female, 26 years of age. Small stature (5 FEET, 1 INCH), long black hair. Blue eyes. Fair skin complexion. Utilizes wide range of abilities, but uses heavy weapons the most.

Lydia the Housecarl; Nord female, 29 years of age. Average stature (5 FEET, 10 INCHES), shoulder-length brown hair. Brown eyes. Fair complexion. Relies on ranged attacks with bows or crossbows.

Svashni the Ronin; Khajiit female ( _Cathay-Raht_ ), 28 years of age. Tall stature (6 FEET, 6 INCHES), Black braided shoulder-length hair. Deep Orange eyes. White pelt with black specks. Akaviri style of bladed combat. Relies on dual Katanas and speed in order to confuse and kill enemies.

Lajjan the Wanderer; Khajiit female ( _Cathay_ ), 30 years of age. Average stature (5 FEET, 5 INCHES), Short, black hair and combed back freely. Pale blue eyes. Black and cream pelt mixed with orange splotches. Sword and shield based combat. Newest addition to group.

 **DISTINGUISHING FEATURES:** Pelt coloration is pure black with silver splotches around his body. He wears large, golden earrings and has his hair loose. Eyes are the color of rust with flecks of green. Large 3 pronged scar across his right eye. Well built with enhanced stamina; can run great distances without rest.


	5. Chapter 3: Recollections

_Chapter 3- Recollections, Temptations, Trolls, and a Dragonborn_

 _4E 205, 7TH OF SUN'S DUSK. 6:05PM_

"Thank you, Umbra. Your deeds here will not be forgotten. I can only hope that the Jarl will be as grateful." Said Erandur with a bow.

"Do not worry, friend. It was an honor to help end those nightmares that the populace was suffering from. As for the Jarl, eh. I think that one has always been, and will always be a cranky one." Laughed the Khajiit. He watched as the Dark Elf walked back to town and then grinned slyly, before walking in the opposite direction, with his group of companions in tow.

"My Thane, what is our current objective?" Asked Lydia, as she walked next to the black Khajiit.

"Home." Replied Umbra simply, before he held his hand up, a sphere of dark violet magic forming as an orb. He focused slightly and cast the spell, a dark, twisting portal opened before them. Umbra regarded his work for a moment and then walked through, his group following suit. When the last of the group stepped through, the portal closed with a hiss. A moment later, miles away near Whiterun, the group reappeared inside of a cozy and massive living area. They were home, within a tower known only as the Leveler's tower. "Alright, everybody rest and have the day to yourselves. Tomorrow we head back to the Pale. There is still work to be done. And.." He pulls out a letter. "A bounty to be hunted." The four women nodded and began to disperse. Umbra stood for a moment, watching the four and thinking back to how he met each one of them.

Lydia was his first companion; he had met her after killing the dragon that had attacked Whiterun's western watchtower. Balgruuf had named him Thane of his hold and had awarded him Lydia as his personal housecarl. She did not like him very much in the beginning, assuming that he was only going to use her as a pack mule or for other, less savory purposes. Once she got to know him, however, she realized he regarded her as a friend and companion, and thus a friendship blossomed. Standing there, he realized he had never asked her why she became a housecarl. He made a mental note to ask her that at a later time. He regarded her complexion and build, admiring her peach colored skin and dark hair. She was a very attractive Nord woman, with dark, piercing eyes and a lovely smile. She had an athletic build that left her slim, without sacrificing her curves, but with enough muscle to be deadly with a sword or bow. _"Human females. Ah. Mara and Dibella bless them."_ Purred the Khajiit inwardly as he stared at her smooth back and ample bosoms when she turned.

He then turned and chuckled at the next two women. One was human. One was not. And both were arguing. Sofia was the human; a short Nord with a huge personality. He met her in Whiterun as well, though not under what one would call "normal" circumstances. Fact is, he found her face-down on a pile of hay in the stables, naked and drunk out of her mind. After giving her a potion to sober up, she introduced herself and asked if she could tag along with him on whatever adventures he was having. Lydia, of course, protested at first, stating she would only be a burden and a dead weight. She was quickly proven wrong when Sofia showed of her magical prowess and swordsmanship against 3 unlucky bandits at once. As stated, she was a short Nord, reaching only 5'1, but was also a beauty of a woman. She had bright, green eyes and a constant smirk on her face that seemed to say, "I'm trouble!". She had shoulder-length raven black hair and a tight, well toned body. Despite her drunkard behavior, she was as graceful as a bird in flight, and deadly as a dragon. Well, this was her outward appearance. Inwardly, she had the manners of a troll, the personality of Sheogorath, and more sarcasm than all of Tamriel combined.

The other woman in question was Khajiit, same as him. Her name is Svashni, and why Sofia enjoyed tormenting her was beyond him. Svashni was a Ronin; a samurai without a master. She used to have one, but killed him in combat attempting to learn the Way of the Nine, a form of swords' based martial art inspired by the Nine Divines. As a result of her failure to learn the art, she became cynical and dark over the years, until hunted down by Umbra; he had received word that an assassin was spotted near Falkreath, randomly killing those who crossed her path. He was ordered to stop her. In the end, after a long and tiresome quest, he was aided by the ghost of her former master and the living incarnations of the Nine to learn the art and defeat Svashni in one on one combat. Before landing the killing blow, he had a change of heart and allowed her to live on one condition: That she became his companion. At first she preferred death, but after some convincing, (mainly the promise that he would educate her in the Way, as it was meant to be learned) she accepted. The look of confusion on the Jarl's face when he went to claim the bounty was priceless.

Jarl Siddgeir sputtered and looked flabbergasted at the request, but Umbra's orders were to stop Svashni, not kill her. Finally, a compromise was made and he was paid three-fourths of the bounty. This was two years ago; now she's become accustomed to Umbra and his companions, though no amount of preparation could help her in dealing with Sofia. Svashni was not an unattractive Khajiit, she would be even more so if she ever smiled. But her face was in a constant scowl, and always in a bad mood. Other than her constant anger, she had eyes the color of a sunset, a pelt the color of steel and lips the color of a snowfall. Her hair was pulled back into a series of braids that were intertwined with gold rings. The few times he had ever seen her without armor on was when she was wearing her city clothes, which were slightly too big for her and would reveal the top of her back, which had small, black spots. She had a warrior's build; toned with muscle and scarred in a few places from years of training. She was also very tall for a Khajiit, passing 6'5 in height. She was even taller than himself, though not by very much. Despite all of this, however, she had not lost her feminine allure and was graced with round, firm buttocks that were further accentuated by her tail, and firm, perky breasts that were mostly hidden by her armor.

The last of the four women was also Khajiit, an average sized one named Lajjan. She was the most recent addition to their group and had only recently earned her armor that identified her as one of them. She did not have much of a backstory to her that he knew of. Umbra had seen her traveling with Ri'saad's caravan many times before when he traded with them. The main reason she chose to be his companion was because he had done her a very large favor by bringing her news of the death of a "friend". This friend was named Tanita, a female bandit Khajiit that had helped her escape from captivity. From what Umbra could tell, they may have been lovers at some point, but he did not press the issue. The cause of Tanita's death was, well, him. Umbra had killed her when she attempted to stab him in the back after agreeing to help take her to Kynesgrove, the nearby town, after her caravan was "attacked by a dragon". Upon inspection of Tanita's body, he found a letter addressed to Lajjan, and decided to deliver it. She was also an attractive Khajiit, in her own way. Her body had a warrior's build, much like Svashni, though she had less muscle and still had remnants of baby fat. Her pelt's coloration was like that of a lynx; creams, blacks and rust colors intermingled with black areas.

Her eyes were a steely blue and she was always monitoring and watching, likely a habit formed during her time as a caravan guard. She was bustier than Svashni, though had less of a posterior. Unlike Svashni, who kept her hair in braids, hers was only combed back and loose. The quirk that Umbra found interesting, even amusing about her was the length of her whiskers; they were very long and would constantly be brushed by foliage when they were outside, or by walls and shelves when inside. When this would happen, she would jump a little or give a small "ah!" of exclamation, as it would tickle her. While the other women would occasionally eat or go to the underground lake together within the tower, Lajjan would often visit the Library or Gardens. She was very independent and enjoyed being alone, save for when Umbra was nearby; she would get up from her location and sit next to him, engaging him in conversation about the politics of Skyrim, his memories of childhood, the adventures they've had before meeting each other, etc. He could not help but feel she had an attraction towards him, but would often decline to ask.

"Currstra'i."

"Mm. What, what is it?" He asked, as his thoughts were interrupted. He turned to the voice that had called his name, the voice belonging to Svashni.

"A word?" She asked, before motioning for him to follow. He nodded silently and accompanied her. She led him to the basement level and on one of the four stools in front of the bar. The room was built like a small pub, with two seater tables in the corners and a roaring fireplace in the back center wall, with four mannequins standing in the middle of the room, looking inwards towards an imaginary circle, as if surrounding an invisible enemy. Despite the unusual mannequins, it was a comfy room, with hardwood floors and tan colored walls. He walked behind the bar and pulled out two glasses.

"Drink?" He asked.

"Yes. Black-Briar reserve." She replied.

He nodded and pulled open a panel under the bar, where a miniature Frost Atronach patrolled inside, keeping the drinks cold. He patted the mini-atronach on the head and grabbed a reserve and mead with juniper berries and served them both. He offered her the mug, which she accepted with a small nod.

"What is it you wanted to speak about?" He asked, taking a gulp of his mead.

She stared at him for a couple of seconds, unmoving, before focusing on her drink and taking a sip. "The Staff."

"What about it?" He asked, staring at his drink, disinterested.

She grinned darkly, putting her paw over his mug, preventing him from taking a drink and forcing him to meet her gaze. "You did not destroy it. Did you?"

He gave her a hard stare and when she did not recoil, he grinned wolfishly and pulled the Staff of Corruption out of nowhere, seemingly.

She scoffed and took another sip. "Where did you keep it, up your-"

"No." He interrupted with a chuckle. He placed the staff upon a table beside them and held his clawed hand before her, palm up.

She raised an eyebrow at him. "I am not kissing your hand."

"Never asked you to." He flexed his fingers inward before opening them up and conjuring another small ball of dark purple magic. He then proceeded to move his hand away from under it, leaving it to float on its own. He turned to her and grinned. "Stick your hand inside."

Her eyes narrowed and her ears flattened on her head. "Not a chance in Hel."

"Don't trust me?" He asked, with a slight grin.

"You are asking me to stick my hand in a ball of magic you just conjured. I have no idea what is in there." She stared at the floating ball for a minute or so, then reluctantly shoved her arm within, feeling around. "What.. What is in this?" She fumbled around until pulling out an ebony bow. "Isn't this Jarl Elisif's..? What is this doing in here? Or better yet, why?"

"This is my.. hrrm... How best to describe it.." He pondered for a moment or two before continuing. "A magic chest. It is a portable, magic chest that I can conjure from anywhere. That is where the staff came from."

"A magic... chest." She repeated slowly, raising her eyebrow once more. "Currstra'i, have you been hitting the Moon Sugar? Skooma, perhaps?" She asked.

"No." He replied, a slight hiss in his voice. "I do not participate in that type of activity."

"Well, I do not see how you can do this then. I have traveled far and wide, before meeting you. I met many warlocks and conjurers. None showed me a magic like this." She eyed the ball warily again before taking another sip of her drink. "How much can you store in there, anyway?" She asked.

"Mm... Don't really know how to say.. I have a great number of items in here.." He reached in and started randomly pulling out items of varying types and weights, ranging from dragon bones, dragon scales, and piles of soul gems and books when suddenly he recoiled and hissed, pulling his hand back out and sucking on a finger. "Ow, damn it. Cut myself on a scythe. Mm." He grabbed a healing potion from his belt and dabbed a nearby towel with the liquid, then wrapped the towel around his finger to stop the bleeding. Svashni snickered silently while continuing to enjoy her drink, receiving a quick glare from Umbra. "And what is so funny?" He asked.

She set her drink down and stared at him with smug amusement. "You are a clumsy fool. That is all."

"This 'clumsy fool' bested you in combat. So what does that make you?" He retorted and grinned as her expression changed from smug joy to irritated annoyance.

"A good warrior who does not rely on magic and trickery to defeat my opponents. You set my tail on fire!" She hissed, flattening her ears. "And let's not forget you shouted me into a tree. Such moves are cheap."

He shrugged and grinned again. "All is fair in love and war."

"Tch. Cheap bastard.." She muttered as she returned to her drink and gulped down the last of it. "In any case, that is all I wanted to know. If you need me, I'll be in the combat area, training. Not all of us are born with 'special' gifts. Like shouting beings into trees." She added the last bit with pungent sarcasm as she got up and walked to the teleportation rune nearby.

He gave her a toothy grin and called after her. "I'll join you in a while. Give you a rematch, if you'd like. Maybe this time I'll just shout your armor off, mm?"

She gave a disgusted snort and vanished in a small explosion of red smoke.

He downed the last of his drink before getting up and taking the mugs to the sink. He turned the knob and fresh water spouted forth, wetting the mugs. He washed them and placed them back on the shelf, thinking about how he was lucky to have found the tower. He happened upon it when Lydia was his only companion. After taking an oath of responsibility and binding his life force to the tower forever, it allowed him access inside. It seemed like one of the few places in all of Skyrim to have a form of plumbing system. Not even the Jarls had such a thing, save for Igmund of Markarth, and that's only because his Hold was built on top of Dwarven ruins. He started to walk back upstairs but changed his mind, instead walking towards the rune that Svashni had used. He stood on it and focused on the Library, and was teleported there instantly.

The Library was the third biggest room in the tower's connection system, with shelves upon shelves upon cabinets upon racks of books, scrolls and writings. The place was originally devoid of literature, but he had taken it upon himself to stock all of them with words; he was secretly a bit of a bookworm, reading anything he could in his youth, and so stocking the shelves became a sort of side-objective for him. In front of him was a large ornate table, surrounded by 12 chairs. On the wall in front of him was a map of Skyrim that detailed all locations he knew of, including cities, holds, towns and places of interest. What made this map unique, however, was the fact that it was constantly shifting, the ink moved and flowed like water and could recall locations he had discovered. It was also tied into the tower's teleportation matrix, and so could take him and his followers to any location on the map, so long as it was known. The whole place was lit up by a beautiful brass chandelier in the center of the room that was powered by magical means, spewing blue fire that never seemed to go out. From behind the teleportation rune, there was a central staircase made from a wood that Umbra could not identify which had a pillar on each side, both of which were topped by the same blue flames found in the chandelier. The entirety of the room was pleasantly warm and homey and for this reason, the Library was Umbra's second favorite room.

He heard a rustle from behind him, and turned to see Lajjan sifting through the pages of a novel, unaware of his presence. He quietly moved towards her and peeked over her shoulder to see what she was reading, and was surprised to see it was the second volume of "The Lusty Argonian Maid". He stifled his laughter as best as he could, took a deep breath and blew on her whiskers, causing her to squeak in surprise and drop the book. He chuckled and bent down to pick the book up, handing it to her.

"This one was not aware that you liked such..ah.. descriptive novels." He flashed her a toothy grin.

She took the book silently and placed it back on the shelf, blushing. She then turned back to face him and stared at him for a moment, before opening her mouth to speak. "This is your library, is it not?"

" _Ah, she's got me there."_ He nodded. "Yes. It is mine. Why?"

She began moving towards him, giving him an uncharacteristically devious grin. "Then is this one wrong in assuming that you are just as bad..? After all, every tome in this place was picked by you." She moved closer as he backed up at the same pace, finally stopped by the shelf behind him.

" _What's gotten into her? Khajiit is not so bold..! Is she in heat?"_

"Ah..Well.. Uh..You see.. Uhm.." He sputtered as he tried to respond.

"What's wrong..?" She grinned as she pressed her body into him, pushing her breasts into his chest. "Khajiit got your..." She ran a clawed finger up the base of his shaft, through his pants, earning her a gasp and groan of pleasure from him. She leaned into him further, bringing her mouth to his ear, whispering. "...Tongue..?"

He shuddered from feeling her hot breath against his fur and his thoughts became a jumbled mess. His erection was as hard as iron, and she could feel it against her soft belly. She reached for his pants buckle and undid it, lowering herself and his pants until they were at his ankles, his hardened shaft free from the restrictive environment. She brought her face closer and closer to his throbbing erection and... got up and walked away.

She skipped away merrily towards the door to the dining area, then turned back and grinned at him. "I'll see you at dinner, yes?" And with that, she exited the room.

Umbra stared at the door, confused, breathing heavily, pants at his ankles, and extremely aroused. _"Did she just... get me back...?"_ He heard the teleportation rune activate and turned to see Svashni walking towards the bookshelf in front of her.

She was muttering slightly under her breath, "Currstra'i has a few tomes on unarmed combat tech-". She stopped dead when she saw Umbra leaning against the bookshelf, wide-eyed and slightly panting. They stared at each other for a moment before her gaze shifted downward, then back up, scanning him. After a moment or two, she shrugged and grabbed the tome she was looking for. She turned to him and gave him one last once over before commenting. "Not bad Currstra'i. Might take you up on your previous offer now." She proceeded to walk over to the rune and disappeared with a red puff of smoke.


	6. Chapter 4: The Thrill

_Chapter 4- The Thrill of Battle_

 _4E 205, 7TH OF SUN'S DUSK. 9:00PM_

 _Lydia and Sofia worked busily in the kitchens of the tower, preparing typical Nord cuisine such as mutton, beef, hare, and pheasant. They spoke to each other of rumors they had heard while they explored the cities as Umbra went about his business and was not in need of them, and swapped stories of their respective childhoods. Lajjan walked in as they were preparing the roast and offered to help. While cutting the vegetables, she shared her experience in the Library with Lydia and Sofia._

Lydia stood there, holding a slab of meat and mouth agape as Sofia cackled madly over the dough she was working on for bread. "You..did..what?" Asked Lydia incredulously.

"He surprised me and poked fun at me. So, I did the same to him. Or rather, I.. what's the phrase.. Got him back?" She stopped cutting for as moment and looked up from her work. "Do you think that, perhaps, I may have gone too far?"

"No way. He had it coming! Get it? Coming!?" Said Sofia as she gasped for air in between her mad laughter, pounding the dough as another laughing fit overtook her.

"You turned him on and then left him there..? And he said nothing?" Asked Lydia, still bewildered.

Lajjan nodded and continued her work. "I think Svashni came in through the teleportation rune after I left. I thought I heard her voice."

Lydia and Lajjan remained silent and continued their work, while Sofia kept laughing and snorting over the dough. Finally, after calming down, Sofia broke the silence between the two. "So. What's he like?"

"What do you mean?" Asked Lajjan.

"I mean, how big is he? Is it strange looking? Is he thick? Come on I wanna know!" Urged Sofia.

Lajjan blushed deeply at the question and Lydia looked up from her work and peered over her shoulder in curiosity. Although she didn't say it, she was curious now that Sofia had mentioned it. "Well..." Started Lajjan, "He is not.. erm.. Not built like other Khajiit..." She spoke haltingly, and felt awkward at having to describe Umbra's tool. "Oh come on, you have to give us more than that!" Sofia pushed for more information. "Is he big?" The cream colored Khajiit stopped cutting the veggies and looked pensive for a moment, the skin under her fur reddening with every moment that passed by. Sofia gasped and grinned devilishly. "He is, isn't he!? Ha! I knew he was." She grinned triumphantly as she resumed working the dough. "And.." She looked over to Lajjan. "You like him, don't you?" The fur on Lajjan's neck puffed up significantly the moment she mentioned it. "Mmhmm. Right again. Two for me~" Teased Sofia, dancing about with the dough and singing. "Umbra and Lajjan cuddling in a tree, y-i-f-f-i-n-g~" Lajjan immediately shot Sofia a shocked and flabbergasted stare, then grabbed a nearby Sweet Roll and chucked it at her head. "Lajjan thinks no such thing..!" "Ow..!" Sofia laughed, shaking the crumbs out of her hair. "Well it's true! Otherwise, you wouldn't have been 2 inches from his shaft! Admit it!" She laughed, dodging a potato that was lobbed at her. "Sofia you...you!" Sputtered Lajjan as she chased Sofia around the kitchen. "Take it back! Takeitbacktakeitbacktakeitback!"

Lydia followed the two around with her eyes, around and around until she sighed, shrugged and continued tenderizing, silently keeping Umbra's size and shape in mind.

…...

Svashni hissed and dodged the attack that came whistling towards her from a bandit-shaped magical construct, dove past its sword and spun on her heel, thrusting forward and piercing it in the heart with her left Katana. The construct groaned and dissipated into a white mist as she sheathed her sword. She walked over to the front of the arena and dove her paws into the cooling bowl, splashing fresh water onto her face. She stared at her own reflection in contemplative thought, musing over the image of her face. Looking left and right, and making sure no one else was around, she relaxed her face, letting her trademark scowl vanish. She brought a paw up to her snout and smoothed a couple of errant hairs on it. Despite being a vicious warrior, she was not without beauty or womanly wiles, and she was very aware of this. However, because she was a warrior and her reputation preceded her, she could not afford to seem weak, in the slightest. She looked left and right again, making sure she was truly alone and looked back into the bowl. Her natural expression was actually wide eyed and curious looking, like that of a cat that has found a new object but does not know what it is. She slowly allowed a smile to cross her face, taking on a cute expression. She cocked her head and purred, allowing her more feline instincts to take over, and began grooming herself. Suddenly, the teleportation rune began to crackle with power, causing her to squeak and jump back in surprise, the bowl clattering to the floor. Umbra stepped out of the rune in a small explosion of red smoke, and turned to face the source of the sound. Svashni had ducked low to the stands, her back and arms pressed against the cool wood, hiding from sight and panting, heart beating furiously.

"...Svashni?" Called Umbra.

She gulped and blinked twice, shaking her head and regaining her composure, then looked ahead to the arena and scowled deeply, looking like her usual self again. She rose and revealed her location, taking her dagger from its sheathe on her back and twirling it in her hand. "Currstra'i."

Umbra raised an eyebrow and moved closer. "Why were you ducking in front of the stands?"

She held up her dagger and twirled it some more. "One of the constructs managed to knock my dagger from my hand with its battleaxe." She lied.

"Uhuh..." He replied, with slight disbelief in his voice. "In any case, dinner will be ready in a small while, so this one thought it would be fun to spar with you."

She snorted. "Fun? I thought you were too busy having fun with yourself in the library."

Umbra blushed under his fur. "I was not. I uh.." He shifted his weight slightly and fidgeted in place. "My buckle got caught in the shelf. I turned and it became undone." He lied.

"Uhuh..." She replied, with obvious disbelief in her voice. "So why the call to arms then? Having trouble getting it in?" She grinned.

Umbra shot her a glare and frowned. It's was true that it had been a while since he had gotten laid, which contributed to his immense arousal towards Lajjan when she got him back. _"But that does not mean I cannot get some! Not at all!"_ He thought furiously. "No. I can mate with who I want, when I want it. That was just simply a erm.. Random occurrence."

"Hmm." She mused with a nasty grin. "You know.." She grinned slyly as she twirled her dagger dexterously in and around her fingers. "It's been a while since I've mated. I could give you a pity romp, if you really need one." Her smile widened tauntingly. "You are going to have to prove you want it though..."

Umbra was fuming at this point, his ears had flattened against his head and his pupils had thinned to near lines. "I do NOT need a 'pity romp', especially from the likes of you, Ronin. You want to get some so badly, then go to one of the nearby cities and into a brothel. I'm sure some poor, desperate sap will pay you something to get laid. It would be a win-win for you. You get your heat sated, and you also get paid." He spat.

It was Svashni's turn to become livid, as she hissed and threw her dagger towards his head. Umbra dodged in time for the dagger to become buried to the hilt into the wood of the stall behind him. Dashing towards him, she unsheathed her Katana and struck with in overhead blow, only to meet her blade against his. Sparks flew as metal clashed against metal, and their movements became a flurry of activity. Svashni ducked as Umbra's blade whistled overhead, cutting off a couple of her hairs; she reciprocated with a swift sweeping kick that sent him crashing to the ground. She took the opportunity and scrambled onto him, pinning his arms down with her knees and holding her blade to his neck, giving him a cocky smirk. "It seems this one has won, 'Dragonborn'. So much for your fabled battle prowess, mm?"

Umbra stared into her eyes, saying nothing, giving her only a small smile. He eyed her form from under her and spoke softly. "You know.. Svashni is actually very beautiful, when she is not scowling." Her eyes widened and she became visibly flustered. "Don't you.. No." She pressed the blade against his neck. "Those tricks do not work on me, Currstra'i. I am not some feeble-minded skank from the inn." She scowled deeply and bared her fangs. "Do not insult me by trying. Or I'll rip your throat open." Umbra made no move to struggle, and his smile widened. "I am not lying, or attempting to trick you, Svashni. Is it so wrong to complement you on your genuine beauty?" He coughed as the blade was pressed further into his neck, drawing a trickle of blood. Svashni was blushing, and furious, at this point. She had always wanted to hear that, in some deep and hidden part of her being, yet another part was absolutely livid that he even dared to do so. Was he mocking her? Was he serious? She was legitimately lost for words and could do nothing but glare at him while he gave her that smile. _"That... THAT SMILE! He's mocking me. He must be! Never have I wanted to kill someone more than now... This bastard.."_ She failed to notice that, while she was brooding over her thoughts, Umbra was filling his lungs with air and focusing, until he grinned and power began to reverberate from his chest.

"FUS...RO DAH!" With his Unrelenting Force, he blasted her off of his arms then released the teleportation spell he had prepared in his palm and appeared right under her. He held out his arms and caught her, grinning as he did so. "So, let's agree that, had I been holding out my sword, you would have been skewered, yes?" She was still stunned as she looked up into his eyes; her look of confusion slowly turned to one of pure fury as she set her right leg upon the ground and spun on the ball of her foot, unsheathed her sword and slashed at him once more, catching him across the chest and severing a portion of his armor. He yelped and leaped back holding his bleeding chest and ruined armor with his left hand. Her nostrils flared as her eyebrows furrowed at him, panting not of exhaustion, but wrath. "I missed. I was trying to cut you in half." He grinned again, and cast a _Fast Healing_ spell upon himself, stopping the bleeding and stitching his wound back together. "Now look what you've done.." He unbuckled his chest piece and took off the top portion of his armor. "It will take me some time to repair this. Was that truly necessary?" He tossed it aside, leaving him with only his leg armor intact and shrugged, drawing his blade. "I suppose I will have to repay the favor, do you not agree?" She growled deep in her throat and slashed her blade in the air, clearing it of blood.

Umbra charged, sword drawn and pointed at her as she did the same. Power hummed in his chest once more as he used his Whirlwind Sprint to dash behind her and slash her back twice, forming an X. She hissed in pain and wheeled around to stab at him repeatedly, her blade meeting metal each time as he parried her. Switching strategy, she began slashing at him, purposefully meeting his blade until managing to knock it upward with her left hand while punching him in the gut with her right, then drawing her claws and cutting him upward, from his abs to his chest. His eye twitched and he grimaced from the pain; his blade came swinging down with enough force to drive hers into the floor, followed by his claws catching on the armor of her arm. With a grunt of exertion, her pulled it towards him and the top portion of her armor gave way, exposing her furred chest. She looked down and up again, pulling her blade free from the ground and knocking his away, shoving him back.

He somersaulted back and landed in a crouched position, giving her a look up and down, then a wink and nod of approval. "I told you I would repay you in kind." She grunted and used her blade to cut the rent armor off of her, leaving her with her leg armor, same as Umbra. "Well, you have seen my chest. Satisfied? Because I.." She took her battle stance once more. "Am not.." Umbra couldn't help but lick his chops and grin. "Good, because neither.." He held his blade in front of him. "Am I..." Svashni let an involuntary grin cross her face as she charged Umbra, feeling an all too familiar heat beginning to rise. They met in the middle with a fierce clash, steel rang and echoed through the large arena along with roars and grunts of exertion. They danced back and forth in a deadly waltz, their movements synchronized to counter the other's, a primal symphony of battle that echoed the very spirit of Skyrim. By the end of the battle, both parties were left panting, hot, and very much nude.

 **LEMON ALERT. ALL UNDERAGE PARTIES EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY.**

Svashni winced as she felt her heat kick in fully, beginning to pant, and this time not from weariness. _"_ _This, I do not need."_ She gave Umbra and once over, musing at his form. _"Then again... He is not unpleasant to look at..."_ A single drop of her arousal flowed down her inner thigh as she eyed his shaft. _"And he is a...good size.."_ She grinned slyly, lowering her head slightly. _"I can't let him have it so easily though.."_ She began twirling her tail coyly, discreetly fanning her scent towards him. Umbra's nose twitched and began picking up the scent of a female in heat. His instincts began to kick in as he narrowed his eyes towards his prey. _"Svashni..?"_ He raised his blade once more and began to advance towards her, slowly at first, but picking up speed; she did the same and swords met in an overhead and underhand blow, crossed as their bodies touched ever so slightly. He lowered his head towards her neck and breathed in her scent; spices, the smell of wood on an open fire, sweat and a hint of lavender was the very essence of her being. She closed her eyes and growled softly at his touch, her breath quickening in her chest as she lowered her own head to his neck and breathed his musk; clove oils, black currant, the scent of a field after a rainfall, and sweat are the smells that defined him.

She felt her femininity flush with heat as fresh arousal leaked out of her and down her legs. They both leaped back at the same time, breaking their embrace of battle, panting. At this point, Umbra was at full mast and heavily aroused, while Svashni was leaking sexual fluids onto the arena floor. She spun elegantly towards him, blade whistling in the air in an attempt to slash at him from the side. He stepped to the side and raised his own, taking the full brunt of the attack onto his blade and grabbing her hand, swinging her into the wall next to him and pinning her arms over her and holding her there. He pushed his body into her own, feeling her hardening nipples press into him. They stared at each other for a moment, panting, scowling, and trembling from excitement. He growled and pressed his lips against hers; eyes widening for a moment, she relished in the feeling and closed her eyes, sword falling from her hand and clattering onto the floor as she fought his strength to free her hands. As she squirmed, his manhood found its way in between her legs and brushed against her clit, causing her to moan loudly and finally free her hand, pulling him as close as she could against her, finally losing control and kissing him wildly. Their tongues mimicked their swords, clashing against each other in a game of dominance. Moaning and growling, she held his manhood in between her legs, grinding against it and lubricating it with her copious amounts of sexual juices. Umbra groaned at the heat he felt on his shaft, as he closed his eyes and pushed his head into her neck, kissing and biting, playfully tugging with his sharp teeth, grinning inwardly as she gasped at his actions. She locked her eyes onto his and breathing raggedly. "Currstra'i.. Put it in... Claim me... Fuck me, now..!"

He growled lustily as he complied and raised her leg to his shoulder, pressing his manhood to her slit. "Ready..?" She growled and pressed against him roughly, penetrating herself to the base on his shaft. "I said..." She grabbed his face and kissed him, tongue swirling against his, and broke the kiss to face him again. "Fuck me!" He groaned at the incredible feeling and marveled at how hot and wet she was. _"I didn't think she was actually in heat.. Oh damn..."_ He pulled back and began thrusting into her, slowly and deeply, letting her feel every inch of his cock and feeling every millimeter of her soft and velvety walls. "Svashni..." He groaned and gasped. "You're so.. tight...! Oh gods..!" She pressed her claws into his shoulders and followed his rhythm, meeting his thrusts with her own, wanting to have as much of him inside of her as possible. "Harder Umbra... Harder..." She moaned, hissing as he hit her cervix. "More... More... MORE!" She roared as he suddenly picked up the pace and thrust into her faster, his shaft hitting different places inside of her every time his hips slammed into hers. His left hand shot up and pinned her neck to the wall, making her moan loudly and bite her lips while his right fondled and pinched her breasts. They were in absolute bliss as the wet and muffled sounds of their mating echoed in the arena. She suddenly shoved him off and fell to her knees, grabbing his manhood and taking it into her maw, licking the length of it and taking it to the base, deepthroating him.

He grabbed her head and caressed her hair, gently massaging the tips of her ears to the base. She held her breath as she took him into his throat again, holding it there and purring deeply, earning her a gasp from Umbra and feeling him pull her hair out of pleasure. She took his shaft out of her maw and pumped it with her right hand, looking up at him sensually, opening her mouth and letting her tongue hang from her jaw. This proved too much for Umbra and he could hold back no longer as he blew his load, roaring in pleasure, onto her tongue and into her mouth, coating her face with his cum. She closed her eyes and her mouth and swallowed audibly, licking her lips. He shuddered in pleasure from watching her do so, as she laid back down, facing him and beckoning him to come down with her. He grinned and followed her order, spread her lips and licked her opening slowly and purposefully, letting the flat side of his tongue graze roughly against her clit. She shuddered and moaned, curling and uncurling her toes from the intense pleasure she was receiving.

Making sure that she was watching him, he thrust his tongue as deeply as he could into her tight opening and savored the different flavors that made up her sex. She was sweet and spicy, with a hint of sourness, but not unpleasantly so. He moved his tongue up and renewed his attention to her clit, licking it roughly and earning him an involuntary squeak of pleasure from her, to which he looked up and saw her clasping her maw shut with her paws, looking extremely vulnerable and cute. He grinned as she scowled, opening her mouth to curse him as she went back down on her... and let his sharp canine graze against her clit. She began to spasm and twitch, stiffening and flexing her arms and legs in utter bliss as she was rocked by a powerful orgasm, clasping her maw shut tightly with her paws. Before she could recover, he pinned her arms over her head again and thrust into her, causing both of them to groan in pleasure as he rocked his hips against hers, making sure to bury himself to the hilt inside of her, both bodies moving back and forth in perfect synchronization, her snatch sliding against his well oiled pole.

Svashni moaned and placed her paws on his shoulders and wrapped her legs around him, pressing him deeper into her core as she felt him begin to pulsate. His movements became quicker and more erratic as his breathing became ragged. She knew he was close, as was she. "Umbra.." She moaned. "Inside me.. I want it inside me..!" Her moans sent him over the edge as he thrust one final time and growled, biting her neck roughly and pulling, prompting her primal desires to hiss in lust and cum with him intensely. She shuddered and gave one long moan as his release spilled into her and coated her insides white with his seed. Both laid there for a while, enjoying the afterglow of sex as they caught their breath. Finally, after about 15 minutes, he pulled out of her with a slight "pop!" and laid next to her on the wooden floor. Svashni mused over the feeling of his seed spilling out of her and onto the floor, and felt very much satiated. Well, for now anyway. She knew her heat would prompt her to need more at a later time. But for now, her head was clear.

 **LEMON END. GO ABOUT YOUR DAILY LIVES CITIZENS.**

"Currstra'i."

"Mmm?" He grunted. She turned to look at him, no scowl upon her face for the first time since he had met her. "Not a word of this to the others." He turned to look at her. "This one was not planning on telling anyone. But why the request?" She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "For the sake of my reputation. And my honor. I cannot show weakness. Besides.." She opened her eyes and glanced at him from the corner of her eye. "Lajjan seems to like you. If Lajjan knew of this, it could... complicate things." He nodded. "True. I had suspected previously but did not want to scare her away. Apparently it was the reverse." She sat back up and began licking herself clean, focusing on all the areas where his cum was present before moving to her main area. "For now.." She said between licks. "We'll... keep this.. private. I presume that, from this... point on... if I need to blow some steam... I can come to your quarters...?" He grinned. "You can come to me whenever you need to, but we should instead meet up in the mining caverns. I have a small, private camp permanently set up there for when I need to get away." Svashni nodded and finished her cleaning, stood and gathered her blades and her ruined armor. "I'll teleport directly to the bedroom areas and change into my home clothes." She held up the armor. "Should I drop this off in your room for repairs?" He gathered the remnants of his own armor and turned to her. "Aye. It will be repaired by tomorrow. Meanwhile, we should head to dinner. The others might begin to wonder where we are." With that, they both headed to the teleportation rune and to the living areas.

…...

After taking a quick shower, Umbra wore a comfortable red and black Kimono with a Sakura pattern that had been left for him by the Blades of old in their training hideout, up in the mountains of the Forsworn. He was particularly fond of it for the relaxing enchantments that had been laid upon it, as well as the masterful needlework that had gone into it, making the silk robe strong, soft, and warm. The wooden sandals that had come with it were also very comfortable, despite being made from a hard and unyielding wood. They made a distinct clacking sound in the hardwood hallways as he walked down them towards the dining area. He meditated on the day's events as he strolled along at a casual pace until he reached the doors that lead into the dining hall. With a soft sigh of contentment, he pushed open the doors to find that his companions were already seated and talking softly among themselves, save for Sofia and Svashni who were arguing loudly. The dining area was a large room that followed the similar designed of the rest of the tower; dark and light colored woods intermingled on the walls while the bottom sections were inlaid with gold filigree. The room was lit by a flaming chandelier that was suspended from a dark green roof made from an unknown stone. Columns in each corner of the room were a peach-colored marble and held torch sconces that further illuminated the area. The walls that lead to the kitchen constantly "rained" precious gems that fell into a gutter system on the floor. This decoration was the product of an illusion spell that was prevalent throughout the tower, a feature that Umbra found curious. The dark wood table was almost as long as the room, with 8 chairs on each side and one chair at each of the ends. On the table was a feast fit for a king, with braised mutton, broiled pheasant, several plates of steamed vegetables, various breads and grains, gravy, and a mountain of fruits in the middle of it all.

His companions did a fine job on the food, and hushed as soon as they saw him come in. "Ladies." He shot Svashni a quick glance and returned his attention to the lot. "I've told you numerous times that you do not have to wait for me to eat. Truly, if you are hungry then please, help yourselves. I am not royalty. I am not above you. I am your equal, no more, no less." He pulled his seat away from the table and sat down. "In any case, since you waited, I have a quick announcement to make before we dig in." He pulled a couple of notes and letters from the inside of his Kimono. "Firstly, bandits have taken over Fort Greymoor again. Apparently they did not learn their lesson the first time, so we will need to take them out and teach them a lesson they won't soon forget." He passed the letter along to Svashni, who was nearest, so she could read it herself and pass it along when she was done. "Secondly, Jarl Igmund has offered a reward for the removal of a Giant that keeps harassing travelers on the way from Kynesgrove to Markarth. Apparently this one is no longer satisfied with the cow offerings that farmers make to them in order to keep the peace and wants more. The Giant in question has taken a woman with him this time. There have been reports of wailing and screams coming from his den, so there is a chance that she may be alive. We'll kill him and rescue her."

He passed the bounty note again and opened another letter from the pile. "Next.. Hmm... This is interesting.." He muttered. "What is on Umbra's mind?" Asked Lajjan, looking up from the first note that was passed around. "This." He held up the letter. "This is a letter from the College of Winterhold... They are asking me a favor on their behalf. They seem rather desperate. Very uncharacteristic of the guild.." His eyes continued scanning the letter as he read silently. After a couple of minutes of going back and forth through the pages, he finally passed them along to Svashni, with his brow furrowing in thought. "Umbra..?" Asked Lajjan again. He looked up and set his rust-colored eyes on her for a couple of minutes, lost in thought. She stared back, unblinking. He took a breath and spoke slowly. "It's... a very unusual request. They want me, or in this case, us, to scout an area far beyond the borders of Skyrim. To the far south-west, actually, in the woods." He folded his fingers into themselves and placed his hands on the dark brown wooden table.

"The Augur of Dunlain sensed a disturbance in the flow and ebb of magic in Nirn. He told Tolfdir that something was disrupting the very fabric of time somewhere in those regions. He wants us to find the source and investigate. If we find the source to be something hostile, we are to engage at our discretion." Svashni snorted. "That ball of energy demands too much and orders us around as if we were slaves. Are you just a messenger boy or the Dragonborn?" Umbra turned to her, casting a warning glance. "I am Dragonborn, true. But my powers do not exceed that of the Augur. He is a being of pure energy, as well as a reliable source of information. So we will do as he asks." Svashni snorted in annoyance once more, but said nothing. He leaned back into his chair, pondering the contents of the letter. _"A disturbance in the fabric of time... An Elder Scroll perhaps..? Or is it something more..?"_ Umbra sighed and looked at all of them when he felt their eyes upon him. "Right. That is all I have to say on the matter. We will deal with these requests and bounties in the order in which they were presented. Now, let us enjoy this marvelous feast. Sofia, help me serve the beer.." Umbra rose and grabbed a pitcher of beer and began serving the girls. In his mind, he felt a sense of foreboding, but quickly brushed it off as nonsense. _"I hope it is, anyway..."_


	7. Chapters 5&6: Assembly and Elements

_Chapter 5: Some Assembly Required_

NOVEMBER 7TH, 2292. 11:30PM - VAULT-TEC HQ: SUBLEVEL 15; QUANTUM TUNNELING RESEARCH DIVISION.

 _Exeter and his merry crew have located a teleportation device of sorts and have begun work on repairing it. Thus far, they have had little success in understanding the advanced schematics left behind by Vault-Tec scientists of the past; partially because of the immense knowledge required to fully comprehend the instructions and equations needed to assemble the device, and partially due to the numerous coffee stains that mar the blueprints._

"Ow, fuck!" Exeter threw the wrench he was holding to the floor below, bringing his finger to his mouth and sucking on it. "Fuggin piece of..." He rubbed his finger to try and soothe the pain he felt while muttering various curses under his breath.

Raul lifted his welding goggles and looked up from his work on one of the stabilizing legs. "Eh, your hand slipped on the wrench again, huh boss?"

Exeter sighed. "Aye. And it hurt like a-"

"Son of a bitch!" Veronica's voice rang out, followed by the sound of metal containers falling. Exeter and Raul looked over and saw Veronica, in her regular garb, holding her left foot and jumping around, looking downright silly.

Exeter chuckled and massaged his finger. "...Yeah, like that. Anyway, hopefully your part is coming along better?"

"Eh, it's coming." Raul held up one of the schematics and pointed to a section of the graph. "But this part don't make sense. See." He pointed to a section that looked crossed out. "The math here is alright, but they crossed it out and instead added this equation here. I don't get it. The section before made more sense, structurally speaking. The new part just, I dunno. It seems like they added it with the express purpose of screwing the whole thing up."

Exeter climbed down from his perch and walked over to Raul, taking the blueprint and inspecting it closely. _"Raul is right. This makes no sense. Looks more like sabotage to me..."_ He scratched his head and called Veronica to come over.

"Yeah what?" Exeter handed her the printout, explained their findings, and asked her opinion on the matter. She took it and studied it closely, reading it from top to bottom, then up again. "Hm.. Yep. Have to agree with you boys. This looks fishy. What's more, the rest of the print is based on that modified calculation." She looked up at the machine. "This might explain why it never worked. Here, lookie what I found." She handed Exeter a small notebook that detailed experiments done with the machine. He flipped through it, reading aloud only small snippets at a time, but focusing mainly on the end result of each experiment.

"Failed. Failed. Failed. Failed. All of the experiments with this thing ended in failure. Some more catastrophic than others by the looks of it." He flipped to a previous page and read the excerpt out loud. "Sanders volunteered for the tunneling experiment today. Or rather, was volunteered. I had a bad feeling the moment he told me. Poor guy looked pale and his voice quivered when he spoke. He handed me a letter and told me to give it to his wife. I asked him why, though inwardly I already knew. He said that he wasn't coming back. Everyone knew the device was not ready, and that ever since the boss hired that consultant and allowed him to change some things, it only got worse." Exeter flipped the page and went down to the results. "Sanders is dead. My God there wasn't enough of him left to really bury. Talk about meeting his wife under the worst of circumstances. Poor Jenny. The mortician warned her not to open the casket. That it wasn't how she would want to remember him. She didn't listen. All we really managed to recover from the experiment was his lower right leg, part of his torso and a foot. The left one. We think. She fainted the moment she saw the remains. The kids... I don't want to mention it. It broke my heart to see them. I hope God punishes that damn "consultant". May the Lord forgive us for what we've done." Exeter closed the notebook with a shudder. "Poor guy. Wonder what happened to him, the writer I mean. I think it's obvious what happened to Sanders."

Veronica pointed to a dark corner towards the back. "Well, I think I know. This notebook was on a corpse. The wall back there is red, and I don't think it's paint..."

"Ah. Poor soul. Couldn't take the guilt I guess.." Raul took off his helmet as a show of respect.

Exeter nodded and grabbed his helmet from the corner of one of the support poles of the machine, where he had left it. "Agreed, but for now let's get back to work. Raul, disregard the rest of the schematic. Veronica, you're the brains here. See if you can finish the blueprint as if the original equation had been followed. I'm going to go back into the hallway with Dogmeat and see if I can't bust down any of those other doors. Hopefully we can find a hint as to who the "consultant" was and what his real intentions were, maybe even find something that can help speed our progress along. C'mon Dogmeat." With that, he turned on his heel and moved to the entrance of the lab, towards the hall while placing his helmet upon his head and adjusting the straps.

Dogmeat barked and wagged his tail happily, trotting alongside Exeter, back down the hall.

Raul turned to Vernoica and winked. "Guess you're stuck with me... Calculating.."

Veronica visibly recoiled and shook her head. "How do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"You make anything sound sexual. And not in the good way. Kind of the more... Old-man-that-stares-at-you-creepily-from-the-corner kind of way." Veronica shuddered again before scribbling calculations into a notebook she had found.

"Aw, I ain't that bad. Can't help it if its been... What, hundred something years since I've been with a lady." He picked up the schematics again and began crossing off sections that did not make sense. "Besides, you don't know what you're missing out on. Who knows, you might develop a, ah, a kink for such things."

Veronica sighed and turned to Raul. "Look, I'm not into you, Raul. Period. I'm not into men, first and foremost, and secondly, all the unwanted harassment has got to stop. It makes me feel uncomfortable and frankly it kind of makes me want to ram my power-fist into your face. So drop it, okay?"

He flinched slightly and was taken aback. "Aw geez. M'sorry V. I didn't think it bothered you that much. Or rather, I didn't realize. I just thought it was, you know, playful banter or something. Guess this old Ghoul has lost his manners. I'll drop it. Forgive me, darling?"

She remained silent for a moment, then turned to him with a half smile. "Alright Raul. I accept your apology. Just ease back on the innuendo, alright? Flirt with Exeter or something. I'll do my best to

find you a blow up doll or something."

"Hey, c'mon. I apologize and then you insult me?"

She grinned widely. "You owed me at least one. Take it like the irradiated man you are."

Raul chuckled and went back to working on the blueprint. "Yeah yeah. I'll let you have that one then."

 _Chapter 6: The Unknown Element_

NOVEMBER 7TH, 2292. 11:50PM - VAULT-TEC HQ: SUBLEVEL 15; QUANTUM TUNNELING RESEARCH DIVISION; OFFICE HALLWAYS.

Exeter grunted with exertion as he rammed into the pale white door again, sliding down the door with a small whimper. "Owwwahhh... My shoulder.." He stood and rubbed his left side. He had given up hope of finding any type of passcard or code for the doors and had been relying on brute force. Well, trying to, anyway. The doors were hard as steel, despite being made of what appeared to be wood and did not move a millimeter no matter how hard he launched himself against it. "Well fine. We'll see how you handle this! Dogmeat, move back boy." He took his .50 cal from his back and aimed it at the door lock.

Dogmeat yipped in warning and scrambled, looking for a place to hide. Finding none, he curled into a tight ball behind Exeter.

Exeter pulled the trigger and a deafening bang rang out and echoed throughout the hall, accompanied immediately by the sound of the bullet ricocheting up and down the halls, walls and roof. Exeter yelped and danced around, jumping and ducking, trying to avoid the massive bullet from hitting him and leaving unnecessary holes.

Dogmeat jumped and scrambled around as well, trying to use Exeter as cover from the deadly projectile, until eventually the racket died down.

Exeter panted and gulped. "That... was a very bad idea in hindsight."

Dogmeat growled and Exeter looked down at him.

"What? Like you have any better ideas."

The dog grunted a response and sniffed around, trying to find any new scents.

Exeter sighed, then took off his mask and helmet. He sat against the wall and ran a gloved hand through his hair. "Well, what now then? No keys, no cards, no nothing. Door is solid as a rock and my strongest gun didn't even scratch it. And there is no way I can pick a lock like this.. Hmm.." He contemplated his options quietly. _"Maybe a shaped charge...? Dismantle a mini-nuke and place the core inside a bottlecap mine.. No no that would be too powerful. I could collapse the tunnels with a blast that strong.. Wait.. A plasma charge with a containment field..? The blast, combined with the chemical reaction.. Create a melting seal? Yeah.. that might work.."_ He reached into his bag and went to work, pulling out the last bottlecap mine he had and 4 plasma grenades. He carefully dismantled the grenades, making sure not to trigger them and placed their cores in a square formation along the inside of the bottlecap mine, linking each one to each other and finally linking all of them to the detonator. He then sealed the mine with duct tape and fastened it to the door.

Motioning for Dogmeat to take cover behind him from the corner of another door, he pulled out his sidearm, aimed at the explosive, and fired, causing a large detonation and plenty of acrid-smelling gray smoke. He pulled on his mask and moved toward the door slowly, feeling his way through the smoke until he reached the door. Most of it was still intact within the frame, but there was now a sizable hole at the location where the mine used to be, with the edges of the hole glowing an eerie green. Satisfied with his work, he pulled out a bottle of water and poured it onto the glowing edges, causing them to hiss and lose their coloration, returning to a dark gray. He reached through the hole and felt around for the inside handle, finding it and twisting until the door opened with an aggravating creak that only amplified the creepiness factor of the location with it echoing down the hall.

Dogmeat poked his snout inside, sniffing the air around, then panting happily up at Exeter.

Given the okay from Dogmeat, Exeter slowly stepped inside, Raging Bull at the ready while his Pip-Boy illuminated the surroundings. It was a typical looking office, with desks lined up against the walls, desk chairs strewn about haphazardly with various skeletons in outdated clothing lying about here and there, in the same position as when they ceased. All computers, save for one, were damaged beyond repair and had various parts missing. The only functional computer was in the far left corner, the screen shining upon the pale skull of its writer, who was leaning back against the wall, jaw missing. Exeter made his way over to the computer, stepping over a few filing cabinets that had fallen over and stumbling over a wastebasket on the way. Finally, he stood before the computer and turned to the skeletal writer, back to the monitor and once more to the corpse, before extending a finger and poking its head, causing it to slowly slide to the floor.

Dogmeat trotted over to the pile of bones and sniffed them intensely, before snorting once and trotting around the office, looking for other things to sniff.

" _Heh. Despite it all, you're still a dog, after all."_ He mused. He looked down at the seat and dusted it off slightly before sitting and typing away at the computer, trying to figure out what the once-human pile of bones on the ground were doing before their passing. After scanning through several pages of generic paperwork, one entry in particular caught his eye:

 **QUANTUM TUNNELING PLATFORM EXPERIMENT RESULTS:**

Trial 1: Failure. Trial 2 : Failure. Trial 3: Failure Trial 4 : Failure. Trial 5 : Failure.

Trial 6 : Failure. Trial 7 : Failure. Trial 8 : Failure. Trial 9 : Failure. Trial 10 : Limited Success. [See accompanying notes for further information]

Trial 10: We lost another volunteer today, but the usual bodily incineration did not occur. Instead the body was completely absent and in its place was a strange crystal. Further analysis indicates that the crystal, though quartz-like in nature, is composed of unknown minerals and seems to contain energy of some sort. The energy inside cannot be identified, and thus far the crystal has resisted all forms of drilling and experimentation. It has been noted that the crystal will occasionally glow in varying frequencies when the volunteer's name is mentioned. There is definitely a correlation here, but we have yet to come up with any concrete data to back it up. For now, we have stored the crystal in the containment field in research wing 7, so as to avoid potential mishaps; this means you Wilkins. The crystal is NOT for personal use, no matter how "groovy" it looks. This is a professional, scientific organization. Any further "mishaps" are subject to reprimand.

Trial 10 Addendum: We had a breakthrough! We decided to try something new and instead use the crystal to perhaps power the machine and the portal began to react! It was bl^^*(*(^$&*^()&*%}:}  
}{HYD^%*(I%356543456][\/64^%=-p}}{764n to smoke. We're &^$^%uite sure wh}:}{:?$&$ce to bre&%^wn, but the po%^&%ting a ne^&^$*(most of the disappointment away. We'll begin work on repairing it within the next week. [ERROR: DATA CORRUPTION]

Exeter leaned back into the chair, looking up towards the ceiling. _"Hm. A strange crystal that could be used to power the machine... But then, what was the purpose of all that plutonium? The original source of power perhaps..?"_ He sighed and reached down to pet Dogmeat as he usually did when he was pondering something. The dog looked up, panting happily, as he usually did when receiving attention. With a small grunt, he stood, gathered his belongings, and headed towards wing 7 to find this mysterious crystal. "C'mon Dogmeat. Let's fetch us a shiny thing."

The dog rose from its haunches and followed, continuing to sniff around as he went.

After getting lost for another couple of minutes and circling back around 3 times, he finally located wing 7. Thankfully, this time the doors were not locked. The inside of the research wing was rather generic, much like the offices; workstations, desks, computers and filing cabinets were strewn haphazardly about, creating a feeling of organized chaos. Most machinery inside was powered down or damaged, but otherwise in good condition, compared to the rest of the offices he had entered, anyway. He scanned along the numerous shelves and cabinets, but had no luck in locating the crystal he was interested in. Sure, he found the occasional quartz and the like, but none that matched the description. He sat in a nearby chair to collect his thoughts. _"Containment field. Energy source. Should be obvious to find but no such luck. Where else would there be.. Hm."_ He stood again and started scanning the walls and roof, shining his light along until he found what he was looking for: wires and piping. Following the wiring for a good five minutes, he eventually came to a dead end at one of the walls. He felt around, trying to see if there was some hidden mechanism or pressure switch, but found nothing and after ten minutes, gave up. Sighing, he sat on the edge of a desk, fuming. "Damn it. That always works in the movies. Why isn't there.." He looked up and noticed a door at the far end, clearly titled: "CONTAINMENT FIELD. DANGER. KEEP OUT." Grumbling, he stood and walked over to the door, unable to believe his own stupidity.


	8. Chapter 7: The Hunt and A quick note

_A quick note from the Author:_

Sorry for the wait, folks. I've been going through a lot of personal and family problems as of late, and have not been able or willing to update as frequently. TOTW is not dead, but chapters will not come as frequently. I apologize if my writing style changes or if I do not seem as attentive. I'll try to accommodate to you guys as much as possible and as is within my power. I appreciate your patience and reviews. I never actually imagined I would get followers for this or any other stories I have made/will make. So again, thank you.

 _Chapter 7: The Hunt_

 _4E 205, 8TH OF SUN'S DUSK. 6:00AM_

 _Umbra and his companions prepare their belongings and leave the tower, heading to their first target, Fort Greymoor. The Fort is commonly overrun by bandits and no matter how many times the Dragonborn seems to clear them out, they always come back. Jarl Balgruuf pays well for the Fort to be cleared each time, as the bandits tend to become a problem for travelers and citizens of Whiterun alike, so Umbra has no problem playing the gruesome maid and taking them all out. They arrive at the entrance of the Fort using Umbra's portal; he'd been there so many times that he's permanently marked the location on his shifting map in the Library. They sneak behind the wall of the Fort and wait quietly for the proper opportunity._

Umbra yawned silently and rubbed his face with his paw, trying to shake himself awake. He was not a morning person. At all. He hated waking up early, but he wanted to get these contracts out of the way today, otherwise who knows when else he would muster up the will to do them. He looked up and saw one of the guards on top of the tower looking away; now was his chance! He dashed as quietly as he could into position, executed a forward roll and aimed with his bow, only to find that it was invisible in his hands; for that matter, his hands, legs, body and head were all invisible! He groaned inwardly, rolling his eyes as he remembered which armor he was wearing. This was his most commonly used armor for when he did assassinations; a multi-piece leather armor that was reinforced by several spells which granted him an incredible resistance to flames, added lethality to one-handed weapons, bolstered his own physical strength so he could carry more, increased his Magicka reserves, and rendered him invisible so long as he was crouching and did not touch anything, save for the ground. _"All this waiting and sneaking, when I was invisible from the bloody start.."_ He uttered a curse in Ta'agra, raised his bow, took aim at the bandit, and let loose an Ancient Nord arrow. It whistled through the air and struck true, lodging itself in the head of its target; the bandit twitched once and slowly dissolved into a puddle of bloody bones and pulp, while Umbra felt one of the many empty soul gems he kept in his satchel become energized. He felt his invisibility spell break and ran to the wall as he heard a couple of bandits shout and run over to where the once-whole, now liquified bandit had stood moments before.

He motioned for his companions and lifted a finger to his lips, then began to move towards the portcullis, which had been left open by some inattentive bandit. They moved quietly and quickly; Umbra could be invisible, the girls were not, so stealth was of the essence in this situation. They inched closer and closer to the door that lead to the main area of the fort; closer, closer and... Someone burped behind him, loudly. Umbra wheeled around to face the source of the noise, eye twitching, as did all of the other bandits in the area. Sofia was covering her mouth and her face was reddening by the second. "...Seriously..?" Asked Umbra with an annoyed, but unsurprised look on his face.

"What? I'm sorry I had a mug of ale with breakfast!" Replied Sofia as the other companions fanned and scrunched their faces.

Umbra moved to reply, but an arrow lodged itself in the wall next to his head with a "Thunk!" as the bandits sounded their battle cries and took to arms.

He groaned inwardly again. _"So much for stealth.. Damn Sofia and her borderline alcoholism!"_ He stood, unsheathed his sword and glass shield, and prepared for battle as Lajjan and Sofia began firing volley after volley of arrows into the wave of oncoming bandits. Svashni unsheathed her Katanas and both she and Umbra charged into battle, slicing and charging their way through; limbs and heads started to fly as the duo shifted and flowed from stance to stance, faster each time until the two resembled a fuzzy tornado with blades. Seeing this, the bandits began to move back and called forth their archers and mages; the ground forces putting up their shields and the others firing a combination of arrows, fire, ice and electricity towards Umbra and Svashni. "Damn! Svashni!" He called to her and threw her his shield, dodged the first few attacks, and threw up wards with both of his hands. She moved in front of him quickly and ducked, raising the shield and crouching while moving backwards with him so that she was protecting them from the physical projectiles while he protected them from the magical ones. "Lajjan, Sofia! Take the mages out first!" They nodded and adjusted their aim, firing arrows at the mages to cut their attack short.

Umbra growled as he felt an arrow embed itself in his shoulder, causing him to lose focus for a moment and both wards fizzed, but quickly went back up. _"Lydia better hurry.."_ He groaned again as he felt his wound grow hot and his arms began to feel heavy. _"Poison! Damnit.. Hurry Lydia, hurry!"_ He pleaded silently. Off to the far left, Umbra noticed an archer suddenly tumbled to the floor. Then another. And another. He grinned and put as much effort as he could into holding the wards up while Lydia took care of the bandits from behind enemy lines. Suddenly, a commotion started from one of the mages as an archer began to bash him repeatedly with his bow, screaming with a wild look in his eyes, then take out his short sword and hacked away at his teammates.

"Fighting poison with poison.. Hmmm... A good strategy, is it not?" Commented Svashni from below Umbra.

"Aye. Mmf. Let's move." He replied as the lines of mages and archers broke and began to fight among themselves while the ground forces climbed up and attempted to separate the two factions. He released his wards and moved with Svashni, while uncorking a health elixir and cure, and downing them both. Lydia appeared from behind the nearest shed and motioned for them to follow her, pointing to a side entrance.

Umbra nodded and pulled the arrow from his shoulder with a hiss, grimacing at the sudden pain. The wound was not deep, but he was angry now; he took being wounded personally, with poison of all things! He turned back to the chaotic fighting and decided to leave them a farewell present; he raised his hands and a small purple ball appeared in each. He focused more power into the two until they were large and hissing with magic, then released them; a Frost and Storm Atronach appeared, respectively, and began attacking any bandit they could. He smirked and followed Lydia. "When I find that leader, I'm going to fire breathe him into ash!" He hissed as they all walked inside; Lajjan and Sofia looked at each other, shrugged and followed him inside, saying nothing.

…...

Umbra blinked several times, trying to adjust to the gloominess of his surroundings; unlike other Khajiit, he was not blessed with the ability of Night Eye. In truth, at night or in the dark he was as blind as any other human, his only advantages being his sensitive hearing and sense of smell. Why he was different from other Khajiit when it came to the ability, he did not know. Perhaps it was him being the Dragonborn, or mayhap it was hereditary; he never knew of his parents, after all, so it was within the realm of possibilities. Whatever the case was, he could not see well, and thus resorted to using a double Candlelight spell. The ball of light sparked to life between his palms and floated above him when he released the it, illuminating the gray walls. Stealth was not really an issue anymore, given the commotion outside.

The fort's interior never changed from the times he visited, well, never to a noticeable extent. Sofia seemed to pick up on his thoughts and wrinkled her nose.

"Ugh. Do these Bandits ever change the décor? Always with the same wardrobe, the same cupboard, the same shelves." She walked to a table on the other end of the entrance. "Wasn't this dead Orc here the last time too?"

"Probably. But let's focus. Most likely they've fortified the upper level, so we'll have to fight our way through." He signaled to them and moved towards the stairs. Upon reaching the second level and waiting for his spell to dissipate, he quietly peeked around the corner to see a bandit stirring a small pot of food over the fire, singing to himself about a sad Orc, beers and an Elf.

He motioned his companions to stop with a raised hand, silently crouched and began creeping up behind the man. Up close, Umbra noticed the bandit was an Imperial, and that he did not bathe much, or properly and grimaced as he got even closer. He pulled out his dagger and sprang up, covering the Imperial's mouth and slit his throat from ear to ear. The man gurgled and held his bleeding neck, falling to the ground and after a moment or two, expired. Umbra turned back to the corner to motion for his companions when he heard a vicious yell from behind him.

"LUCAN! YOU BASTARD, I'LL MAKE A RUG OUT OF YOU!" A Nord charged Umbra with a Steel Battleaxe raised over his head, seeking to rid the latter of the same. He barely dodged the incoming swing in time and felt a few hairs fall from his head, then dodged another swing focused on his abdomen. After the third swing, Umbra leaped towards the Nord, tackling and wrestling him to the ground. From the corner of his eye, he could see two more bandits sprinting towards them down from the hallway.

"Lajjan, Sofia! Bandits from the left hallway! Take..!" His sentence was interrupted by the Nord punching him in the jaw, however, it seemed that they understood the general idea as they drew their bows and began firing towards the oncoming bandits from behind the corners of the room. Muffled thumps and screams indicated that they were hitting their targets, which allowed Umbra to focus on the task at hand. Unsheathing his claws, he began swiping at the Nord's face, cutting bloody furrows down his cheeks and across his forehead. The man under him screamed in pain and swung blindly, missing several times and finally hitting his mark, sending Umbra sprawling to the floor.

"Kill... I'll kill you... I'll murder you Khajiit!" He crawled and felt around the floor for his axe, picked it up, then stood and turned back around only to have Umbra's dagger be driven up through his chin.

"No. I'm afraid you won't." Replied Umbra with a smug grin. The man dropped his weapon, shuddered once and fell, unmoving. Pulling the dagger from the bandit's chin and wiping it on his skins, Umbra turned and watched as the last bandit in the hallway fell, several arrows jutting from his corpse.

After thoroughly looting the bodies, Umbra rose from his kneeling position and began walking down the hall. "I grow weary of this. Ladies, let's put an end to this tedious task." They all nodded in agreement and followed him; Sofia split from the group and caught up, poking his side.

"What? Killing bandits and getting poisoned getting boring?" She grinned as Umbra rolled his eyes.

"Yes, actually. This one wants to move on and get these bounties over with. If this one is honest, however, Dunlain's request has my interest piqued. What could be so powerful as to disrupt the fabric of our world?" He grinned. "Ever since Alduin fell, I've not felt very needed. These missions.. These jobs.. They do not really hold my attention. My job as the Dragonborn is done. Now I am simply a well known mercenary. Not quite the reputation I want." He stopped at the last door in the hallway, lowered his voice and turned to his companions. "I bet you all 5 gold that the leader is asleep in his or her bed, and that they are wearing full steel plate armor, with a cape." He whispered to them.

S'vashni and Sofia quickly pulled out their coins and nodded, while Lydia and Lajjan simply stared, then shook their heads in silent disapproval.

Umbra closed his eyes and waited for a moment, allowing his chest to vibrate with the power of the Thu'um, then burst through the door and released his power. "YOL TOOR SHUL!" The leader awoke just in time to be bathed in dragon flame, thrashing and screaming for a minute or so, then stopped moving in their bed. A powerful stench filled the room as the body sizzled and smoked while the ladies backed away, fanning their faces and covering their noses. S'vashni looked away from the scene, retching and gagging, as the stench was all the more powerful for Khajiit, who have sensitive noses. Umbra coughed and stumbled out of the room, covered in soot. "I should have.. *cough* remembered that these places.. *cough* have no windows.."

"Errrughh... I take it the bet is off?" Asked Sofia as she waved her hand.

"Do you want to go inside and check if you won?" Replied Umbra.

"Mmm... No.. Five gold is not worth the smell..."

 _Umbra and company take their loot and leave in a hurry, the stench becoming all the more potent as time passed on. They exit from the same place they entered to see that the fighting is continuing, with the battle now between the mages and the warriors, with Umbra's Atronachs lying in several pieces on the ground. The group sneaks away unnoticed and hurries to their next destination. After several miles of hiking and light jogging, they make a pit stop at a nearby town to fence their goods and continue to the Giant's lair. Minutes after going in however, they all run out, being chased by a very naked, and very angry Redguard woman._

"I've heard of some women having kinky fantasies, but that's too much for even me!" Yelped Sofia as she dodged an oncoming rock from the Redguard. Umbra only gulped and nodded with wide eyes as he sprinted, unable to unsee what was witnessed in there, and feeling very inadequate now, compared to the Giant's "club".

 _They continued along their path, stopping by the Redguard woman's husband's farm to express their condolences, to which the farmer began sobbing, believing her to be dead._

"It's better, I think, if he thinks she is dead. If he learned the truth, he might just kill himself." Explained Umbra. Lydia shrugged, S'vashni nodded, Sofia snorted and Lajjan simply stared.

 _Finally, after several more hours of running, hiking, weaving in and out of forests and taking down a dragon along the way, they arrived at their destination; the southern gates of Skyrim. It is here that the fate of Skyrim, the fate of Umbra, and the fate of his companions would be changed forever._


End file.
